Encens Suave Matière Première 2019 Eau de Parfum

I wrote a statement about this fragrance a long time ago, but it is so special to me that a full review is necessary.

Long story short: this scent smells exactly like Addis Ababa.

You walk through the streets, everything is bustling, people everywhere. On the walls of the houses, you see small shops, and fresh buna jebena is offered everywhere. Coffee, incense, and myrrh fill the air. You hear conversations everywhere, the atmosphere is good, the traffic is loud, and the good coffee rounds it all off.

To explain briefly: coffee, incense, and myrrh are three scent notes you cannot escape in Addis.

Buna (Amharic for coffee) jebena is the traditional coffee preparation in Ethiopia and Eritrea. You sit at the table with your family while coffee is freshly prepared in the backyard. Green coffee beans are roasted fresh. When the coffee is freshly roasted, it is passed around so everyone can smell it. After that, the coffee is freshly ground and prepared in a jebena, the traditional coffee pot. The jebena is heated over an open fire, fresh coffee fills the air, and the special thing is: throughout the entire process, incense and myrrh are burned! Why these two things? Ethiopia is a very religious country, the majority of the population is Ethiopian Orthodox. Incense and myrrh are two of the three gifts that the Three Wise Men brought. And that is why these two components are an integral part of the ceremony.

Now the coffee is ready, and the jebena along with small cups are placed in the room. The coffee is poured into the cups. And here too, a vessel with burning, smoky incense and myrrh is placed on the table.

For those who want to know what this looks like: there is a picture of the AlHabasha on an Ethiopian painting in my profile gallery. There you can see what I mean.

In my statement, I already mentioned that this scent represents 100% Ethiopia for me. It smells exactly like the side streets of Ethiopia on a sunny morning or the living room when guests are present. But now to the actual fragrance.

Actually, I have already anticipated the entire progression of the scent. At the forefront is a very strong and dominant note of incense, accompanied by myrrh. In the background, the coffee comes through nicely, beautiful freshly roasted coffee beans. But not too intense; this is definitely not a pure coffee scent. Vanilla then adds a certain creaminess. And that’s it! A few scent notes, but very powerful.

Performance-wise, the scent is also very solid; it lasts about 8-10 hours on me, which is absolutely sufficient. The sillage is noticeable but not overwhelming, so overall it is rather subtle for such a fragrance.

I love incense, especially because I am Ethiopian, and the scent immediately reminded me of Addis when I first smelled it four years ago. An incredibly well-executed fragrance that could have also been named Habesha, and it would have fit 100%. It is what AlHabasha unfortunately could not fully achieve. I was back there in January, this time with this fragrance in my bag, and it was a perfect match.

For me, this scent is the ultimate feel-good fragrance. I wear it when going out, at home, in church, really everywhere I want to feel comfortable. It is also the best incense fragrance on the market.

Price-performance? Top! But we already know that from Mariere Premiere.

I would really like to know if this traditional coffee preparation was the inspiration for this fragrance. Because hitting the description above 100% exactly cannot be a coincidence.

This fragrance is Addis Ababa in a bottle, and that is why it will always be a fixed part of my collection. Thank you, Aurélien, for this masterpiece!